Device for coupling and splicing railroad-rails



(No Model.) Y J.D OT'Y. DEVICE FOR COUPLING AND SBLIGING RAILROAD RAILS. No. 338,842.

Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES DOTY, OF MARION, VVISOONSIN.

DEVICE FOR COUPLING AND SPLICING RAILROAD-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 333,842, dated January 5, 1886.

Application filed September 10, 1885. Serial No.l76,666. (No modeLi T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES DOTY, of Marion, in the county of Waupaca, and in the State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Coupling and Splicing Railroad-Rails; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to railroad-rail joints, and has for its object to construct a simple device of that character whereby the rails may be effectively joined along the line of track, so as to prevent their lateral displacement, and at the same time allow of their natural expansion and contraction in a longitudinal direction, the invention consisting in the general construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described with referenceto the accompanying drawingsin which Figure 1 is a perspective view of myinvention, and Fig. 2 a transverse cross-section of the same.

The letters A B represent two railroad-rails of the ordinary construction, their opposing ends being shown at aslightly apart, as is usual in track laying to allow for thenatural expansion. Extended alOng the sides of the rails in both directions from their opposing ends are the bridge-piece G and angle-bar D, which parts are retained in their relative position with the rails A B by means of clamps formed of two detachably-united jaw-sections, E F. The bridge-piece O conforms with the contour of the entire side of the rails and comes slightly above the tread, its upper face, I), being laterally extended in a direction from said rails and its ends tapered, as shown at c a, so as to be nearly flush with the tread, and thus prevent any striking or jarring by the wheels of moving train. The angle-bar D conforms only with the contour of the foot, web, and under side of the rail-treads. The clamp-sections E F are of unequal size, the larger one having an extension, d, in the form of a bolt, which passes through the smaller section, and is screwthreaded at its forward end to receive a nut, e, by which the inner faces of the lower portions of both sections are brought simply flush when the clamp is in operative position, so as not to interfere with the natural longitudinal expansion and contraction of the rails. These clamp-sections have jaws f, which embrace the lower portions or feet gh, of theparts C D, and

a packing, t, of hard leather or other suitable material, is interposed between the foot of each of said parts and the clamp'jaws to effect a tight nonwearing joint.

In the operation of my invention, where the opposing ends of the rails A B meet, the bridgepiece 0 and an gle-bar D are placed in their relative position against said rails, as shown in Fig. 1, the end of the rail A being bolted to said parts, as shown at 1, while the adjacent end of the rail B is left free. but one bolt being used to each rail throughout the entire line of track, as the bridge-piece,angle-bar,and clamps serve the purpose of preventing lateral spread of the rails. By the employment of but one bolt to each rail the same is not materially weakened, and the natural expansion and contraction in a longitudinal direction is taken up at thefree end without strain. The bridge -piece and angle-bar beingin position, the clamp-sections u ced upon the same and brought tightly together meaizrsof the bolt-extension d and nut e, and the rail-joint is thus completed. It will be noticed that the clamp-sections are slightly concaved, as shown at M, so as to allow a play for the rail in a downward and outward direction when acted upon by a moving train, this downward and outward pressure forcing the clamp-jaws upward and inward against the bridge-piece andangle-bar after the manner of a vise, to securely bind said parts against the rails and prevent any dislocation of the several parts of the entire rail-joint.

The above-described operation is materially aided by the packings 'i, there being enough inherent elasticity in such packings to compensate for the pressure exerted by the moving train and to force the several parts back to their normal position after being thus acted upon.

In cases of fractured or bruised rails my j oint can be readily used to repair the injury without the use of bolts by simply placing the parts 0 and D in position and adjusting the clamps. Such an operation can be quickly performed by an ordinary track-hand without the use of any special appliances other than an ordinary wrench, and the track be thus put in good condition without loss of time.

The bolt for securing; one end of a rail to my rail-joint is only intended to cause the longi tudinal expansion and contraction of said rail to be compensated for at the free end thereof, and the bolt performs no essential function in securing the parts 0 and D in position, as the latter are entirely acted upon by the clamps.the said bolt for the rail not ordinarily being brought tight.

If found desirable, the staybolt may be entirely omitted, as is the case when repairing a fractured rail, as above described.

In securing the rails by my improved joint no regard need be taken of the position of the ties with relation to the rails, as no spikes are employed to retain the several parts of said joint in operative position. the latter being applied to the rails between or each side of and independent of the ties.

I am aware that it is not new to secure railway-rails fixedly at one end with freedom at the other for expansion and contraction of the rail in the direction of that end, and I do not broadly claim the same, nor doIbroadly claim the uniting of rails by splice-bars, one of which is carried up the outside of the tread to serve as a bridge at the joint; but,

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railroad-rail joint, one end of each rail secured to the bridge-piece and angle-bar by a single bolt and the opposite end of said rail left free, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a railroad-rail joint, a laterally-extended bridge-piece constructed to conform with the outer sides of the rails and tapered toward its ends, and an angle-bar constructed to conform with the foot, web, and under side of the rail-treads, in combination with aclamp or clamps consisting of two unequal jaw-sections detachably united and concaved upon their lower inner faces in a horizontal direction, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a railroad-rail joint, the clamps, each composed of two unequal detachably-united jaw-sections having their inner lower faces constructed to present a continuous concavity in a horizontal direction when saidjaw-sections are united, substantially as described.

4. In a railroad-railjoint, a jawed clamp, substantially as herein described, consisting of two unequal sections, the largerformed with a bolt-extension and the smaller with an opening or passage for said bolt'extension, packings of hard leather or other suitable material secured to theinner vertical faces of the clamp jaws, and a not adapted to be placed upon the outer extremity of the bolt-extension of the larger clampsection, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The joint for railroad-rails herein described, consisting of a bridge-piece and an angle-bar relatively placed one on each side of the meeting rails, the clamps formed by two unequaljaw-sectious, the larger of these sections united to the smaller by an integral boltextension passed through the latter and secured by aunt, and the packing of hard leather or other suitable material interposed between the bridge-piece and angle-bar and the inner vertical faces of the clamp-jaws, all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES DOTY.

Witnesses:

S. S. STOUT, H. G. UNDERWOOD. 

